Ceramic fitting fell out of the lead eye, the eye not damaged.

[retiredbosn]

Ok I have a Quantum Tournament Grad PT rod, 7 foot MH for worming and jigging.  I was cleaning the tackle the other day for storage and noticed the lead eye, the one on the end, is missing the ceramic insert, I guess it is ceramic anyway.  The eyes are Fuji, and the eye missing the insert appears undamaged in anyway, not bent, out of round or anything like that.  Will the missing insert hamper the functioning of the rod?  What I mean is will the lack of the insert cause the line to wear?  Will it affect the sensitivity? etc.  Another is can I get a replacement insert as I would rather not go through the hassle of replacing the eye.  Thanks

[NBR]

Yes you will damage your line. I don't think you can get a seperate insert. If you are talking the very tip guide it is very easy to replace. Most tackle shops have kits as does BPS.

[Furbit]

The Quantum Tour PT rods do have issues with the rings falling out on the tip guide. Simple fix is to just replace the guide.

I contacted Quantum about this issue and they do not have replacement parts for there rods. I was told to send the rod in under warranty. I said for a stinking tip guide, the cost of shipping is more then a tip guide. No thanks I'll fix it myself and steer clear of buying Quantum Tour PT rods in the future. Dam shame for the rods themselves are actually pretty good rods. Just another case of a rod company using cheap hardware to make a extra buck.

[Matt 825]

You will have to replace the guide that is damaged. It will cut your line and you will lose fish because of it Any custom rod builder can replace that guide for short money if Quantum wont fix it for free.

[flechero]

Just another case of a rod company using cheap hardware to make a extra buck.

Not so. First off the fuji guides and tips are not the cheap ones. Secondly, knocking out inserts is 99.999% of the time a user error. They offered to fix the rod. I realize it's financially impractical but they still offered to fix it. They also might not want a novice to overheat the tip and ruin the blank... causing a full replacement anyway.

If you knock out a tip, spend the $3-$6 to have a new one installed and move on.

[retiredbosn]

Thanks everyone, I will just replace the end guide, I was worried about ruining the sensitivity.  

[BARON49_Northern NY]

I knocked the ceramic insert out of one of my St. Croix Avids.  They offered to repair it if I sent it back OR would send me a new tip at no charge so I could replace it myself.  They even included the proper glue and directions on how to do it.

[anglerEd]

And if I may ask, what was the proper way to replace. I guess I have 2 basic concerns. 1- Is overheating a big issue if you make a reasonable effort to keep it to a minimum. 2- I have used the hot glue that comes with kits and followed the extremely basic directions. I have had issues with the tip continualy rotating under stress. I have always felt that when I applied glue to the rod and pushed on the tip, I was removing the glue in the process. Ther must be a more professional and sturdy way to make the repair and I am missing the boat.

[Matt 825]

You do not want to heat the rod blank at all or the ring insert at all. Heat applied to either one of these will do serious damage.

Best way to put a tip on a rod is

1.) heat the glue up with a lighter and then rotate it around the rod tip so the tip is covered with glue. ( dont worry if it is too thick for now)

2.) hold the tip top with your thumb and pointer finger right on the ring insert. (You do not want to expose the insert ring to heat)

3.) hold the tube of the metal tip top under a lighter to heat it up (not the rod blank). Once you feel the heat in your fingers it is hot enough. (dont burn yourself, be careful)

4.) Slide the tip top onto the rod tip. The hot metal tip top should melt the glue that you already put on the rod top and slide down easily. You should have a few seconds to align the tip with the guides.

5.) Give it a few seconds to cool and then with your finger nails, peel off the excess glue.

6.)  If you are not happy with the alignment, you can reheat the metal part of the tip top, but you must be very careful not to overheat and damage the rod blank or the guide insert.  Heat very slowly until the tip loosens and then re-align.

That should hold and never come lose!!!!

[grimlin]

Very easy to replace....If an idiot like me can do it so can anybody. This is what i did.... http://www.rod-crafting.com/resource/articles/rod-tip-repair.html

[flechero]

Very easy to replace....If an idiot like me can do it so can anybody. This is what i did.... http://www.rod-crafting.com/resource/articles/rod-tip-repair.html

I agree it's easy for many people but if you had any idea how many people overheat the blanks and ruin the rod tips you would be shocked...  

[BARON49_Northern NY]

All good information about replacing the tip not much more I can add here other then make sure the tip is the correct size for the blank you are putting it on.

[FD.]

I am always knocking the ceramic out of mine.  I use my rod tip as a red neck depth finders in water under 3 ft.  I was nervous about replacing the first one so I took it to the local tackle shop that has rod repair.  It took him about 30 seconds and cost me only 3 bucks.  After seeing how easy it was I have replaced them myself ever since.

[flatbass]

One way the insert gets knocked out, when you are hung up and trying to break the line, the hook comes loose and the weight is just the right size to fit inside the guide and knock the ceramic out. I have done this several times. It is really no problem to replace if you can find the right size tip-top.

[Furbit]

Just another case of a rod company using cheap hardware to make a extra buck.

Not so. First off the fuji guides and tips are not the cheap ones. Secondly, knocking out inserts is 99.999% of the time a user error. They offered to fix the rod. I realize it's financially impractical but they still offered to fix it. They also might not want a novice to overheat the tip and ruin the blank... causing a full replacement anyway.

If you knock out a tip, spend the $3-$6 to have a new one installed and move on.

Ok then I stand corrected, however I have 4 of these rods and three of them have had this happen one of which was only on the third cast with the rod. Fuji or not, all's I can say is in the 30 some years that I have been fishing, no matter the cost of these guides, I have never had this happen until with these rods.

Also I have some G-Loomis rods in which I did in fact break the tip guide by stepping on it or what have you and a simple call to G-Loomis and they sent me out some new guides. I can understand Quantum's concern, but at the very least they should offer the option of not just sending in the rod, but the option of sending you a new guide.

I am not bashing Quantum, heck I am probably one of the few who swears by there products over company's like Shimano , it's just with these rods that tip guide is junk no matter who makes it.